Diagnosis: More or less oval, not distinctly spiral, protoconch keeled, with spiral threads, adult with concentric rows of fine prickly scales; septum a rounded lobe flanked by a deep sinus, columella folded to form a narrow, deep, false umbilicus; yellowish- or reddish-brown. Maximum diameter 24 mm.
Description: Shell oval to slightly ovate in outline, generally depressed (length/ height 0,32-0,44), rarely somewhat elevated (length/height 0,57), apex slightly eccentric, sutures not visible; protoconch tilted, keeled, with fine spiral threads. Septum forming a well-rounded lobe with a deep sinus at its junction with outer margin; columella folded over to form a deep, constricted, false umbilicus. Sculpture of concentric rows of small, close, vaulted, prickly scales; margin not distinctly crenulate. Colour yellowish- or reddish-brown, exterior dull. Dimensions: 20,1 x 18,4 mm, height 6,4 mm (holotype); 24,0 x 21,5 mm, height 13,7 mm, 18,8 x 17,3 mm, height 8,0 mm (paratypes).

South Africa. From off Cape Agulhas to the Natal south coast, in 11-229 metres.

This species has been recorded as the Chilean Calyptraea aurita (Reeve, 1859). Four syntypes of the latter species (described as a Crucibulum) have been examined in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History), as No. 197798. In these the apex is markedly more eccentric and the sculpture consists of wavy, granular radial ribs, instead of concentric rings of fine scales as in the South African taxon. The latter is consequently regarded as a distinct species, here named in honour of the late Dr K. H. Barnard, who described its characters so well. Curiously enough, Carrington & Kensley (1969) described a chronosub-species of Calyptraea 'aurita' from the Pleistocene of Namaqualand, using the name striata. This material actually bears fine radial ribs, suggestive of the true aurita and possibly indicating the origin of C. barnardi to be from aurita stock. Unfortunately the combination Calyptraea striata is thrice preoccupied (Gray, 1825; Say, 1826; Broderip, 1834).
The generic position of C. barnardi needs confirmation, as the distinctive protoconch (cf. Barnard, 1963, figs 10 b, c) is atypical for Calyptraea. The protoconch of Calyptraea extinctorium Lamarck, 1822, type species of Desmaulus Rehder, 1943, has evidently not been described, but an Andaman Island example (N.M. F8891: Mrs & Miss E. M. Man) appears to have a keeled, tilted protoconch similar to that of barnardi, although its worn state precludes certainty. The columella septum is not as tubular in barnardi as in extinctorium, and is in fact fairly typical in form for Calyptraea ss.